The Duchess Of Cambridge's Diet Guru Is Banned From Practising

Pierre Dukan, the man behind the famous protein-based Dukan diet, has been banned from practising as a GP after he prescribed slimming pills that have been linked to deaths in France.

Dr Dukan, who is said to have helped the Duchess of Cambridge with her pre-wedding diet, treated patients with the Mediator pill to suppress the appetite. The pill's real purpose? It is used to treat diabetes.

Clearly, Dukan knew he was up to no good. The drug he was using had been banned in 2009 due to links with heart damage and after complaints from patients last year, Dukan struck himself off the doctors' register. The medical board has now prevented Dukan from working as a doctor for eight days. The board concluded that his work "discredits the profession".

So - does this news mark the end of the Dukan diet era? As Dukan's book has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, something tells us that it will difficult to break this doctor's following.